Silent Practice: The Art of Inner Listening
Somewhat reluctantly, I have just sold on my Virgil Practice Clavier, having watched it gather dust and take up space for the past few years. For those of you too…
The Study Editions of Alfred Cortot
I first heard Alfred Cortot when I was a boy. The magic of his recording of Chopin's Étude op. 25 no. 1 made an indelible impression on me - it made…
Inventing Exercises
One thing I can say for certain is that we are all different. When it comes down to rituals in practising, there is nothing more personal than what we do…
Overpracticers Hanonymous
It is not so much what we practise, but how; it is the quality rather than the quantity that matters. We need a specific aim when practising an exercise, a piece, a phrase…
On Double Notes (Part Two)
This post deals with the "how" of double notes. Because double notes appear to be very finger-based, making demands on the weaker fingers on the outside of the hand, they…